SEPA Creditor Identifier (CI) Regex for Java

What this pattern does

This page provides a well-structured, multi-part regular expression for matching sepa creditor identifier (ci), ported and verified for Java. Financial data validation has zero tolerance for false negatives — a missed invalid entry can corrupt downstream calculations. The snippet below is ready to drop into your Java project — whether you're validating in a Spring Boot controller, a Jakarta EE service, or a standalone utility class.

Java Implementation

// SEPA Creditor Identifier (CI)
// ReDoS-safe | RegexVault — Finance > Bank Identifiers

import java.util.regex.Pattern;

public class SepaCreditorIdentifierCiValidator {
    private static final Pattern PATTERN =
        Pattern.compile("^[A-Z]{2}[0-9]{2}(?:ZZZ|[A-Z]{3})[A-Z0-9]{1,28}$");

    public static boolean validate(String input) {
        return PATTERN.matcher(input).matches();
    }

    // Example
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println(validate("DE98ZZZ09999999999")); // true
    }
}

Test Cases

When to use this pattern

This pattern is drawn from the Finance > Bank Identifiers category and carries a ReDoS-safe certification. That matters for Java developers because critical in Java applications since the JVM regex engine uses backtracking and is susceptible to ReDoS without careful pattern design. RegexVault audits patterns against known backtracking attack vectors, ensuring you have the necessary context before using this regex in a high-stakes production environment.

Common Pitfalls

Technical Notes

Structure: 2-char country code + 2 check digits + 3-char creditor business code (ZZZ if not assigned) + national identifier. Check digits use same MOD-97 algorithm as IBAN.